The deployment of equipment such as computer and electrical devices requires appropriate infrastructure to support it. Such infrastructure can include but is not limited to physical “brick-and-mortar” buildings or other protective shells with built-up electrical services, HVAC systems, and communications infrastructure. This infrastructure is typically built in place by contractors. Construction of such built-up infrastructure typically occurs over a timescale of months or years from the time the computer/electrical equipment is ordered until it is put into service.
Computer rooms and other building spaces intended for specialized uses often contain equipment that requires precise control and regulation of environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity in order to ensure proper operation of equipment (such as but not limited to computers) installed in such spaces. Cooling requirements for these types of spaces are typically much greater and more stringent than for most building spaces due to the need to dissipate heat generated by the equipment operating in the equipment rooms. Humidity control requirements are typically stringent as well, since excessive moisture in the air can cause operational and maintenance problems with the equipment such as IT (information technology) equipment. Redundancy of cooling/climate regulation systems is often essential as well, due to the critical nature of the IT equipment that can be installed in these spaces. Accordingly, sufficient redundancy and backup systems are often used in these spaces to ensure continuity of operation of critical equipment.
For large space deployments of computing or electrical equipment, the electrical loads and requirements can be large in comparison to other non-specialized spaces. Accordingly, a robust and specialized electrical infrastructure is required to adequately service the connected equipment and to provide sufficient backup in case of failure of one system. This often includes the use of automatic power transfer switches, generators, UPS battery systems, and two or more sources of electrical power for the equipment, sometimes with entirely separate feeds. Redundancy in HVAC systems is crucial as well to ensure continuity of cooling of critical equipment in the case of failure of an HVAC system component.
In recent years, the single largest application for these types of spaces is the computer data center comprising numerous servers installed in a room or space with the necessary electrical, communications, and HVAC infrastructure to support the equipment. These computer data centers typically reside in brick-and-mortar buildings that have been purpose-built or renovated to accommodate the computing equipment (usually in the form of server racks) and associated electrical equipment. With the dramatic growth in the world's computing capacity requirements in recent years, the growth of data centers around the world has been similarly dramatic.
The main drawback of built-up infrastructure as discussed above is that the time for deployment of the required equipment is very long. In today's rapidly expanding computing world, this can often cause bottlenecks in the ability of a company to roll out additional computing capacity. The extended traditional deployment time also requires long-term forecasting which is not always possible; in the dynamic computing industry, there is often a need for rapid responses to changing market demands. With the extended deployment time due to infrastructure construction, this option is often not available.
The costs associated with building up this type of infrastructure are also considerable, particularly having regard to costs associated with construction of a building or shell, electrical infrastructure, and HVAC systems on site.
In recent years, various companies have designed modular data centers to try to mitigate some of these problems and concerns. The purpose of the modular data center is to provide the required physical protection and electrical and mechanical infrastructure required for the rapid deployment of computing capacity. A typical modular data center has a pre-built casing/enclosure incorporating a cooling system for cooling the equipment contained therein. As well, the electrical infrastructure is typically pre-wired to allow servers to be placed within the modular data center and plugged in.
Modular data centers are typically made in the form of packaged equipment, with most of the assembly being constructed in a factory as opposed to being built up on site. They can be suitable for either indoor or outdoor environments, with most being configured for indoor use. Some modular data centers can be installed on a vacant lot serviced with power, such that a building is not required for the site.
Most modular data centers currently on the market are narrow in scope, and are built for temporary use until a brick-and-mortar installation is ready for use. They are often built from a “server container” standpoint, with insufficient attention being paid to appropriate HVAC and electrical infrastructure. This “server-in-a-box” approach limits the utility and versatility of modular data centers as well as their viability as permanent replacements for brick-and-mortar data centers. Inefficiencies are introduced to the system through the inferior equipment casing construction.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for manufactured data centers that can act as a direct drop-in replacement for or alternative to conventional brick-and-mortar buildings while improving upon the construction methods and system configurations found in modular data centers currently on the market.